Frequency and Pattern of Headache in Medical Residents and Non-Medical Students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in North India

BACKGROUND is quite prevalent in general population. Few studies have been done on medical residents and comparison between prevalence and types in medical and non-medical student groups is quite lacking. This institute having medical as well as non-medical students, provides an opportunity to study and compare frequency and pattern of headache these student groups. The study was aimed at finding out the type and frequency of headache, disability due to headache treatment practices followed by these two student groups and the effect on the quality of life of our work force resulting headache. AND METHODS characteristics were studied in 200 medical residents and non-medical students who had at least one episode of of at least moderate intensity in the last 1 year using structured questionnaire. occurred in 81% students (79.9% of males and 83.9% of females), of whom, 81.82% were medical, 77.14% were -medical, 79.65% were married and 82.76% were unmarried. Episodic tension-type headache (TTH) was most frequent type and migraine without aura was uncommon. More males had TTH than females (55.6% versus 39.3%) and was more common in females (39.3% versus 20.1%). Common triggers for headache in medical students were stress, of sleep and in non-medical students were stress, sunshine and loud noise. Only 10.5% students were on prescription while 69.8% were self-medicating. is almost as frequent in medical as in non-medical students and it affects the quality of life of our work force